Timbers U-23s face rival Kitsap on the road Saturday

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers U-23s head north to take on Northwest Division rival the Kitsap Pumas on Saturday at Bremerton Memorial Stadium in Bremerton, Wash.; kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday’s match is a 2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open qualifier for both teams.

The match between Portland and Kitsap will be broadcast live on 1030 KMAS and available online at www.kmas.com.

Additionally, United Soccer Leagues announced Thursday that Timbers U-23s forward Brent Richards was named the Premier Development League (PDL) Player of the Week for Week 3. Richards netted the third hat trick in team history to lead the Timbers U-23s to a 6-0 win over the Washington Crossfire on May 15.

The Timbers U-23s (1-1-0, 3pts) open a two-match series against the Pumas this season on Saturday. Portland defeated Kitsap in all three matchups in 2010, including a 2-1 victory in the Western Conference championship at Bremerton Memorial Stadium, as part of its PDL title run last season.

All-time against the Pumas, the Timbers U-23s are 3-1-1, including a 2-1-0 mark on the road.

Saturday’s match is the second of four qualification matches for the U.S. Open Cup for the Timbers U-23s. The last two qualifiers are the regular-season meetings with the North Sound SeaWolves on May 25 and Tacoma Tide on May 29. The win over Washington marked Portland’s first qualifier this season.

During the week, Timbers U-23s goalkeeper Jason Dodson joined the team from California, where he attends Stanford University. Dodson finished his redshirt freshman season with Stanford last fall, starting all 14 of his appearances. He will be available for selection this weekend against the Pumas.

Kitsap (3-0-0, 9pts) has won each of its first three matches of the 2011 campaign and currently leads the Northwest Division. The Pumas earned a 3-0 win over the Crossfire last weekend at home. The team returns PDL All-League defender Mark Lee and has conceded just one goal on the season.

Timbers U-23s goalkeeper Garrett Staples played for the Pumas last season. He appeared in three games in his lone season with the Pumas and recorded a 3-0-0 record; Staples was a member of the inaugural Timbers U-23s team in 2009.